Nutmeg-grater



NITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

NUTMEG-GRATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,508, dated March 31, 1896.

Application filed July 2, 1895. Serial No. 554,762. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES AUGUSTUS PREST, of Northborough, in the county of IVorcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nutmeg-Graters, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to dispense with having to hold a nutmeg by the hand to grate it on the ordinary grater, and to effect a cheap, strong, and durable mechanism that will grate a nutmeg when manipulated by hand, suitable for home purposes, which I attain in the manner following, namely:

Figure 1 is a front view, Fig. 2 an edge view, and Fig. 3 a side View, of a nutmeggrater comprising my improvements.

A represents my frame; B, the crank and manipulating shaft; 0, the grating-plate having one end connected to the crank portion and the other end controlled to keep it at all times in front of the nutmeg-holding receptacle of the frame throughout its movements.

The frame mechanism I have designed to dispense with having to employ wheels to reciprocate the grating-plate or a skilled mechanic to make my grater. In fact, my frame being cast, as shown by the drawings, the other partnamely, the grating plateis stamped out and to shape by one operation of a press-machine, and the shaft is shaped complete when engaged with my frame, and such parts being designed to simply require being connected together I attain a substantial, cheap, and efficient nutmeg-grater.

a represents the handle; a, the shaft-bearing; o the nutmeg-receptacle retaining portion having the opening a and the gratingplate guide-lugs a a denotes the lower portion of the nutmeg-receptacle, which can be either pressed into the opening of the frame or soldered on the frame. a is the removable portion of the nutmeg-receptacle. These portions are provided with screwthreads, so as to retain the removable portion, as shown by the drawings.

(t represents a rod that passes through the cap of the removable portion and into the receptacle, for the purpose of forcing the nutmeg 1 against the roughened surface of the grating-plate. The spring a contacts the inner surface of the cap and the upper surface of the disk a secured to the lower end of the rod, thereby creating a pressure to force the nutmeg, as aforenoted, against the grating-plate. The end of this rodt'. 6., the upper endis upset, as shown, and is in length equal to the distance a little less than the distance between the under surface of the cap of the removable portion of the receptacle and the opposite surface of the graterplate, which is to prevent the disk of the rod engaging the surface of the grating-plate.

I wish to state that the fixed portion of the nutmeg-receptacle may be cast with the entire frame, or that the entire receptacle may be cast with the frame and that an opening be made in the side of the receptaolei. e., cast into permit a nutmeg being inserted in the receptacle, as represented by the numeral 2that is, the opening in dotted lines. By doing this I dispense with the aforenoted two receptacle portions and with having to secure the lower portion to the frame; but owing to the cheapness of these two portions and the time taken to aflix the lower portionbut a moment-there is nothing saved, either in a substantial or pecuniarysense.

The crank-shaft consists of one piece of wire, and is shaped, as shown, after being located in its bearingt'. 8., the grating-crank is shaped first before placing it in its bearing, and after such placement the hand manipulating-crank is then shaped, thus attaining a very cheap crank-shaft.

The grating-plate is roughened as ordinary nutmeg-graters and is provided with the hole 0 to permit the end of the crank portion of the shaft to enter and suitably retain that end of the grater.

The grater has its vertical edges turned over to produce guideways, and is further shaped to prevent the roughened surface of the grater to contact the opposite surface of the frame, as clearly shown by the View Fig. 3. The lugs on the frame engage the grating-plate guideways and keep the grating-plate at all times opposite the nutmegreceptacle opening in the frame and consequently against the nutmeg when in the receptacle. The movement attained by this connection of the grating-plate with the frame and crank-shaft is a peculiar oscillating replate in combination with the hand-mani1: ulating-crank shaft, and the grating-plate, such plate having the guideways and designed to keep the roughened surface from contact with the frame, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in presence of two subseribin g Witnesses.

CHARLES AUGUSTUS PREST.

Witnesses HENDERSON J. EDWARDS, THOMAS W. IIOBDAY. 

